Miyoko On The Move
by SideshowJazz1
Summary: It's 2012, and Sophie never existed. After Miyoko is cursed one fateful evening, she can't face telling her family how she aged, and runs away, even though she knows she'll be endangered. Will there be a happy ending out there for her? Howl/OC. Review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! I really wanted to do something with "Howl's Moving Castle" and the idea of modernizing it and recreating the heroine came to me. You'll notice I'll keep a few lines from the movie, but it's a little different. Miyoko will still be cursed and venture into Howl's castle, but because I consider the time nearer to Victorian than twenty-first century (Is Mayday still celebrated anywhere?) I'll change a lot. Enjoy it, and please review.**

**Also, let me make one thing clear. I am writing the story as if Sophie never existed. The pairing is Howl/OC. I actually do support Howl/Sophie, but if pairing Howl with someone else bothers you, you should steer clear of this.**

Miyoko was bored. She was trying to do her homework, but she really wanted to finish her new book. Being a senior in high school was the most exhausting thing in the world sometimes, and she knew it better than anyone.

"Yoko, hon!" her mother called.

Miyoko looked up. "Yes, Mom?" she said.

"Do you want to come out with us? We're all going out." Miyoko knew 'all' meant her parents, her cousins, and her little brother. Miyoko was seventeen, nearly eighteen, and didn't enjoy going on family outings much.

"No, I better finish my homework. Have fun."

Her mom sighed. "Suit yourself. Come on, everyone else!"

"Hey, wait, look over there!" screeched Topaz, Miyoko's fourteen-year-old cousin, who was staring out the window. "I can see Howl's castle!"

Miyoko reflexively glanced up at that mention. Everyone knew magic, along with witches and wizards, were no big deal. Dangerous and rare, sure, but not extraordinary. But the Wizard Howl was kind of exciting. There wasn't one girl in Miyoko's town who didn't know how notorious he was for devouring the hearts of pretty young girls. Not that many girls had really disappeared, but some did from time to time. Howl's castle was also famous, as he lived in a contraption which actually walked around.

"And this is interesting because?" Miyoko questioned.

"Didn't you hear the rumour about the last girl, up in the next town?" questioned Jessica, who was thirteen.

"I'm actually scared to go out, sometimes. I don't want to meet the same fate." shivered eleven-year-old Charlotte.

"Char, you're way too young." Topaz said. "Besides, he only likes pretty girls."

"I'm out of danger." muttered Miyoko. She wasn't exactly pretty as much as she was interesting-looking. Her cousins were all American, but she was Japanese on her mother's side, hence why she had Japanese first and middle names. She had the almond eyes and black hair of a Japanese girl, but otherwise, her looks were American. But she didn't really care, anyway. She made no secret that she thought her girl cousins' excitement whenever they spotted Howl's castle was uncalled for. "Isn't even worth it." she muttered under her breath.

The minute the door closed behind her family, she tossed her homework down and was about to pick up her book, when she realized that she didn't really feel like reading. She changed out of her school uniform into Capri jeans and her floral shirt dress.

Her older sister Aria was working on the tills at the local supermarket, but it would be closing soon. It would be good for Miyoko to go and see her. Aria was twenty years old and lived in a flat across town with a couple of her university friends, but she'd be happy to say hi to her little sister and talk for, like, five minutes without the rest of the family around.

So Miyoko caught a bus across town, but the nearest stop was still a few blocks and turns away. She hadn't actually gone there herself, as usually her family drove to Aria's flat, or more often, Aria came to their house. Miyoko didn't do supermarket trips much, either. Her family usually went when she was at school, anyway.

She walked, making sure she hadn't passed the street, when she almost ran into a guy, that she recognized from her school.

"Hey." he greeted her. "You got lost?"

"No." Miyoko said firmly. "Leave me alone, Chris."

"Maybe we should give you a little help." Chris continued. "We're good at that, right, Liam?" The second boy stepped out, and Miyoko stepped back a little. She'd heard the rumours about these boys being creepers on girls, and worse, but she'd never run into their trap before.

"Go away!" she said.

"You don't need to be scared." leered Liam. "We won't hurt you."

At that moment, a new voice joined the conversation. "Hi, babe. Sorry I'm so late, you know what it's like." Miyoko felt a hand on her shoulder, and knew the voice belonged to a guy, maybe in his twenties. She couldn't decide if he was better or worse than these two. There was no way of telling, since she didn't know this one.

"Excuse me, but we need to talk to her about a little school lesson." Chris snapped.

"Oh, really?" said the guy. "From what I saw, it seemed like you were done here." Miyoko stared as the two creeper boys were suddenly walking straight past her. She at last got a good look at this new guy, wondering how he'd got the boys away from her. From the way the boys had left, he had probably used magic. She wondered if it was just a little bit he'd learnt, or if he was actually a powerful wizard. She hoped it was the former.

"Just to be safe." he was saying. "Anyway, you did look lost. Where were you planning to go?"

Miyoko was a little tongue-tied. The guy was tall, much taller than her. He had pretty long hair for a guy, which was blonde and styled perfectly. He was quite pale, but it was a good look on him. But it was his eyes that really captivated her. They were a deep blue, and the prettiest eyes she'd ever seen. He was so hot that the young girl nearly forgot how to talk.

Finally, Miyoko was able to stutter out "Oh, um, just to the supermarket. I was a little lost." She couldn't be sure, but since he'd saved her, she'd take a chance.

He took her hand and whispered "Don't get anxious, but I'm being followed. Don't look."

Miyoko couldn't help but get anxious. If this guy knew magic, being followed couldn't be good...unless tons of fangirls and hookers were going to run after him. He was cute enough for that.

But no, it looked like it was the former. Ghostly mist rose up, everywhere. Miyoko audibly gasped. The guy was still completely calm.

"Sorry." he said, although there was no meaning in his words, considering expression and smile. "I guess you're involved."

The mist took on forms of blobby creatures, turning darker. As the guy, still holding Miyoko's hand, turned down an alleyway, more creatures popped up in front of them.

The guy suddenly let go of Miyoko's hand and wrapped an arm firmly around her waist. Next thing she knew, they shot up into the sky. She gasped, scared of heights.

"Don't look down if you're scared." the guy advised her. "Just walk." Miyoko hesitantly did so, and suddenly, it felt as if she was on the ground. The man took both of her hands, and suddenly, it stopped being scary, and it felt safe, like an amazing simulation.

The guy let her down just in front of the supermarket. "You should probably go inside and wait for a few minutes." he told her. "That'll give me enough time to lead them away."

Miyoko smiled a little, all doubts removed from her mind. "OK."

The guy gave her a dazzling smile, and said "That's my girl." before suddenly disappearing up. Miyoko looked up from the doorway, but there was no sign of a blonde young man with beautiful eyes.

It was as if nothing had happened.

**There! You have a few differences already. Next up, we'll meet Aria, and someone who is getting very jealous of Miyoko.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and also, I forgot. Miyoko, could you do the honours?**

**Miyoko: *sighs* SideshowJazz1 only owns the story and the characters she made up. All residents of the castle belong to Diana Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki. Also, thanks to the first two reviewers, Chuu112 and cmbgoncrazy.**

Aria finished with her last customer as her manager went up to her. "Your sister's here. It looked like she just floated down onto here. I'm not sure what happened to her."

"What?" Aria asked, frowning. She rushed over to the doorway, where a dazzled-looking Miyoko was standing. "Miyo Miya!" (This was a family nickname for Miyoko.) "What happened?"

Miyoko told her sister the story, from the two creepers up to when she got to the supermarket. "That guy had kind of a weird vibe. I kind of liked him, but I didn't know why." she admitted.

"Miyoko, how could you have been irresponsible enough to let him know you were lost?" Aria chastised. "You knew he knew magic. You have to steer clear of those people."

"He didn't hurt me." Miyoko protested. "He scared off the delinquents and rescued me from those blobs."

"He got you into trouble in the first place." Aria said darkly. "He was a freaking wizard, or even if it was just knowing a bit of magic, it was still dangerous. He was probably after your heart, like every wizard who flirts. You were very lucky, actually. It could've even been Howl. See, that's how serious this situation could be. I don't know about you, but I'd rather keep my heart."

Miyoko shrugged. "It probably wasn't Howl, and don't guilt-trip me into saying, duh, of course I want my freaking heart intact and beating in me. Why would he waste any time flirting with me first off and then just letting me go? Besides, I'm not at all pretty enough for someone like Howl to take an interest in me, or my heart, come to think of it. Anyway, it won't happen again."

"Look, you need to be more careful." Aria said. "Just try not to cross paths with wizards – or witches, come to that."

"It won't happen again!" Miyoko repeated. "Just drop it, Arie!"

"How can I?" Aria exclaimed. "Of course I'm going to be a bit worried about my little sister."

"Arie!" exclaimed Miyoko. "Stop telling me how irresponsible I was. It was a one time thing. I'll keep my distance from now on."

Aria at last relaxed a little, and then she drove her sister home. "Anyway, are you doing what you want in school and not what Mom wants? I nearly made that mistake."

"Yes, Arie, I'm fine with my subject choice, and I'm doing things for my life, not anyone else's."

"OK, Miyo-Miya." Aria said fondly. "I'll see you next time I visit."

"Sure. Love you, sis!"

"Love you too."

Miyoko stayed up long after her family with a movie marathon, since it was a Friday. She watched a bit of her DVD of _Spirited Away _and then switched to _Nightmare On Elm Street_, finishing with a _Simpsons _episode from Charlotte's _Heaven and Hell _DVD – the one called _Bart Sells His Soul_.

Once she'd brushed her teeth and was about to get into her pyjamas, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it cautiously, keeping the chain on.

A girl was standing there. "Hey, are you the girl that was waylaid by those boys this afternoon?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Miyoko began.

"Well, why were you flirting with my guy?" the girl asked.

Miyoko's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't those two." the girl said. "I'm talking about your Goldilocks."

Miyoko realized she was talking about the wizard from that afternoon. "I never flirted!" exclaimed Miyoko. "I'm not interested in him. If anything, he was flirting with me!"

The girl wasn't listening, or just didn't care. "I don't like boyfriend-stealers." she said viciously. "That's the lowest thing a girl can do, to steal a boy."

"I didn't steal anyone!" Miyoko protested, starting to get angry. In fact, she thought the exact same thing as the girl, and was furious that the girl claimed she'd do that. "Who do you think you are, to start accusing me of it, anyway?"

The girl smiled coldly. "I'm Rosaria, the teenage witch. Sabrina is my role model, even though she's more of a white witch than I, but I'm sure she'd do the same..." She waved a hand at Miyoko, who stiffened in shock.

"What the hell are you..." Miyoko began, still angry, even though Rosaria kind of scared her, then stopped when she heard her voice had changed in some strange way. Rosaria laughed darkly.

"If every girl could age her rival, the world would be so funny to witness, but conflict would die." she said. "Oh, and did you want to know who took you on that little sky walk? Your sister was right. It could've been the most dangerous. Oh, and by the way, if you don't want to cause unnecessary pain, don't try to talk about the spell. You won't be able to. Ciao!" Rosaria walked out, and Miyoko immediately realized what she'd meant.

She rushed to the mirror, and reeled back. Rosaria's spell hadn't aged her that much, only about thirty years, but her hair was already starting to be streaked with grey, and she had so many worry lines it hurt. She gave a little scream and shot up to her room straightaway in horror.

Only she was too old to run as fast as usual.

**I know that chapter was a little short, but bear with me, OK? Next we'll have Miyoko run away. What do you think of the differences minus the modernizing? Well, you can just tell me in a review. That totally wasn't an implication that I wanted you to review or anything...although I would like you too...oh, screw it. Review, please please please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another day, another chapter. I hope you like this one! By the way, I don't own the line about scarecrows talking and walking castles. That is from the now-deleted "Howl's Moving Castle Abridged". Thanks to my reviewers, Aoi Kazuya and cmbgoncrazy.**

Miyoko wouldn't come downstairs the next day. She locked her door and took hours to get her head around the transformation that Rosaria had inflicted on her before deciding what to do. She couldn't go to school any more. She lived in a small town, and people were rarely cursed like this. She was too proud to let her family see her like this. She was going to leave home after graduation anyway, since she was eighteen (well, she was 24 hours ago) and she'd get a room in university, so she decided to leave a note in her room, then sneak out. Where she'd go? Well, there was nowhere to go but up, into the lonely grassy hills until she reached another town or city where she could work. But her family only had one car, so she'd have to hitchhike and walk.

This was exactly what she did. First she hitchhiked out of town with a suitcase of supplies and belongings, then began her long walk up the hills. In her teen years, she would've been able to run up them, but now she was in her late forties and had to walk, and slowly at that. Her suitcase slowed her down, anyway.

After about two hours of walking, she rested and had her lunch. "This feels like Mount Arao without the ice!" she was thinking. "It's so difficult, walking up here."

At that moment, she saw a stick stuck in a bush. On closer inspection, she found it was silver, but a cane would definitely make things easier, so she pulled at it...then stared in disappointment.

"A robot?" she exclaimed out loud. "A robot designed as a scarecrow?" She studied it for a moment, then said "Oh, I think I've got it. You're a victim of a curse, like..." Miyoko's voice froze up. Just as Rosaria had said, she couldn't mention that she was cursed, and it actually hurt when she tried to talk about it.

"Stupid teenage witch." she muttered. "At least the thing isn't upside down any more." She continued to walk, but she'd only gotten about a kilometre up when she realized the robot-scarecrow was following her.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled at it. "I know that you have a spell on you and I am trying to stay away from that type of thing. I've had my share of magic from yesterday!" But the robot only came up to her faster. But it seemed to want to help her. An actual strong thin branch was dropped down next to her.

Miyoko smiled gratefully at the robot. "Sorry I was so mean to you. If you don't have anything to do, could you find me somewhere to stay for the night? I'm not confident in walking around these deserted hills around midnight." The robot seemed to understand, as it wheeled off, and came back only two hours later.

"So did you-" Miyoko began, and then recognized the huge structure following it. Before worrying, Miyoko had to quote a YouTube video. "Stupid old witch, trying to make me think scarecrows can talk. What's next? Castles that can walk? Well, that was unexpected." She giggled, but then became serious. "That thing is Howl's castle! Seriously, I'm not going to risk my heart for...OK, actually, I will. I can easily leave before I'm discovered tomorrow morning."

Miyoko managed to pull herself onto the porch, and was able to open the door. Almost immediately, she inhaled dust. She could tell from the dim light that the room was not only dusty, but covered in everything. It was messier than even Jessica's bedroom, and that sight made her eyes bleed. But it was better than being outside, and she crept inside. The only sign of life in the castle from within weeks was the fire. There was a seat right in front of it. She sank down into it, happy to have a little bit of warmth.

"You were cursed, I can tell. I definitely don't envy you." Miyoko jumped at the conversational tone. "Looks tough to break, too."

Miyoko glanced around, then realized the voice had come from the fireplace. "What the – you're not ordinary fire!" The fire now had a face.

"What did you expect?" the fire asked.

"So who are you?" Miyoko asked.

"I'm a fire demon! My name's Calcifer." he replied, making a spark jump dangerously close to Miyoko's clothes. "I just like doing that once in a while." Calcifer added, a little apologetically. "Nearly singe people, I mean."

Miyoko rolled her eyes. "Mean." Then her eyes lit up. "So does that mean you're able to break curses? Especially since you can tell I'm cursed."

Calcifer did a kind of shrug, which was interesting, since he didn't have proper shoulders. "Maybe. Listen, I'm stuck in this kind of thing with Howl. I'm not allowed to say much about it, but if you can break the thing between him and me, I'll break the spell on you."

Miyoko tilted her head, looking at him. "Is that a promise?"

She could tell that Calcifer wasn't into commitments when he answered "Not exactly, girl. Demons don't make promises. I could, though."

Miyoko sighed. "If you're not even going to do it, I don't see any reason why I should help you. I don't have a clue how to help you."

"You should feel sorry for me!" Calcifer appealed. "The spell keeps me stuck here and Howl pretty much treats me like a slave. I have to do everything around here; move the castle, heat the water, etc. Seriously, don't tell me that's not hard work. You look like you've never had to do any hard work in your life. Please. If you break the spell I'm locked in, then I can easily break the spell on you."

Miyoko still wasn't sure. "If I do help you, wouldn't I have to stick around?"

"Yeah." Calcifer admitted. "So what?"

"You should know, you live here." Miyoko told him, but she'd weakened enough. "You know what? Screw all the terror. It's the best choice I have. You've got a deal."

"So what's your name, girl?" Calcifer asked.

Even though Miyoko was still a young girl mentally, she felt the exhaustion of a woman in her late forties come over her. She just had the time to murmur "Miyoko." before drifting off.

**Miyoko isn't as bold as some of my other protagonists, but she still has a bit of backbone. I hope you still like the story. Review, please, even if you hated it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, next chapter. I'm looking forward to introducing more and more canon characters. I'm sure you will have noticed that the ones I've introduced are all in the castle. It may or may not stay that way. Thanks to my one reviewer, lonewolfgirl-sademo588 and Pixie (Pixie is also the name of one of my OCs in the fanfiction "Enchanting Pixie" which is finished. It would mean a lot to me if people read and reviewed it. It's understandable even if you don't know anything about the fandom).**

Miyoko woke up the next morning to the sound of running feet. She didn't open her eyes, trying to remember what was happening. She was shocked back to memory when she heard Calcifer say "Lemon Cove door."

She heard another voice speak, a boy's voice. "Hey, who's this? And how did she get in here, anyway?"

Miyoko watched him through slitted eyes. The boy was only about seven years old. He was kind of a cute kid, with ruffled brown hair and freckles. He put on a coat which made him appear as an old man. "Stand by." he said, as he opened the door.

There were a few people there. "Good day, sir. Would the Wizard Jenkins be at home?" the leading man said.

Miyoko felt confused, especially when the boy said "My master is out at the moment."

"Well, please give this to him when he returns." said the man, handing the boy a letter. "As Arizona has declared war on California, we need all witches and wizards to help our state."

Miyoko frowned when she heard this. Of course she knew of the scandal where a royal of just Arizona had disappeared and California was accused of the crime, but Miyoko's family had tried to keep it from most of the school-age people to the point that they only knew what they needed to know to survive. The war hadn't affected most of California yet, and Santa Monica, Miyoko's hometown, hadn't had any attacks launched on it yet, nor threats. Sacramento was attacked, and so was San Francisco.

"Hey, where did the hills go?" Miyoko wondered when she looked out the door.

"And just what do you think you're doing here?" It was the boy, transformation hood off.

Miyoko sighed. "I was just staying here for the night, because it was too cold outside and Calcifer didn't seem to mind."

"Why did you let her in in the first place?" the boy addressed Calcifer. "What if she's a witch?"

"I'd know." Calcifer pointed out. "In that case, I wouldn't have let her in." There was a sound of knocking on the door. "It's Lemon Cove again."

"Oh, a customer." the boy said, shoving his hood back on. "Stand by."

The customer was a young girl that was supposed to pick up some kind of tangible spell. It was clear to Miyoko that the castle operated as a spell shop.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you a witch?" the little girl asked, looking at Miyoko.

Miyoko smirked. "Yes, I'm just _so_ unskilled at magic." she joked. The girl laughed.

The minute the girl had left with her spell, the boy turned on Miyoko. "If you're not a witch, don't tell our customers you are!"

Miyoko shrugged. "She knew I was joking."

At that moment, there was the sound of a doorbell. "Beverly Hills door!' called out Calcifer.

While the boy dealt with the next person, Miyoko questioned Calcifer about the doors. He explained in a bored tone that there were four portals, noted by the colour dial just above the door. She came from the green one, the red one led to the shops part of Beverly Hills, and the blue one led to the small town Lemon Cove.

Miyoko did manage to catch that the messenger in Los Angeles was giving the boy a summons for "Wizard Pendragon" from the Prime Minister to report to the offices. She was getting even more confused.

The boy finally closed the door and took off the coat. "Shouldn't you be getting lost about now, if you were just here for the night?" the boy asked.

Miyoko frowned, thinking of her deal with Calcifer. "We-ell," she said carefully, "I don't really have anywhere to go."

"Whatever." the boy sighed. "I don't have a problem with you being here. When Master Howl comes back, he'll make the decision whether you're allowed to stay."

Miyoko then asked the question that had been confusing her. "Who were the wizards you were talking about at the door that supposedly lived here?"

The boy looked confused for a moment, then he realized. "Oh! Well, they're all the same. I'm getting some breakfast." He immediately got out some crackers.

"What the hell?" Miyoko exclaimed. "Seriously, who has crackers for breakfast? Aren't you going to have cereal, or something cooked?"

"We don't have cereal, or an oven, or a gas ring, or a microwave." the boy answered. "We don't even have a hot-water tank. The nearest we have is Calcifer."

"So why can't you use him to cook?" Miyoko asked.

The boy looked at her like she was stupid. "I can't cook yet. Anyway, Calcifer wouldn't let me. He only obeys Master Howl."

"Be forewarned." Calcifer said. "I don't do whatever someone tells me to do."

Miyoko looked at him, then asked "Would you prefer cold water thrown at you or cooking for me?"

"What about a third option, a.k.a: neither!" Calcifer shot back, even though he was scared of water.

Miyoko lowered her voice as she whispered "I could always tell Howl about the little deal we made."

Calcifer cursed, then muttered "Why did I even let her in?"

"So?" Miyoko asked calmly. "What do you want?" she asked the boy. He handed over a packet of bacon and a carton of free-range eggs without a word.

"Balanced." Miyoko mused out loud. There was a saucepan just hanging on a hook nearby, so she shoved that onto Calcifer carefully, and began to make the breakfast.

"I never caught your name." she said to the kid.

The boy shrugged. "I never caught yours, either. Mine's Markl."

Miyoko smiled. "Nice. I'm Miyoko."

And at that moment, the colour dial clicked to black, and to her surprise, Miyoko recognized the tall blonde form that stepped in. _I'm either very lucky or very unlucky, s_he thought to herself. _I have just learned that the wizard that I met a couple days ago WAS Howl. Thank you, Arie, you were right._

**Well, yeah, that was Miyoko's reaction to the first morning in the castle. Next up, we get to something I've been dying to get up to. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Like I said, I've been looking forward to this, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reviewing, lonewolfgirl-sademo588 and SammiRichGurl, and I got the implication from you'll probably delete this. I test all my OCs on the Mary-Sue Litmus Test.**

Miyoko got a little bit scared. She had known that this would happen sometime, but now it was really getting mixed up in her head. The plan she'd made seemed more and more like a death wish, or something similar. She couldn't even watch as Howl walked nearer to her.

"Calcifer, that's a first for you." he said calmly. Miyoko stole a look at his face. He seemed pretty amused.

"I'm not doing that for her just because she wanted me to." Calcifer cried. "She blackmailed me into it."

Howl's expression stayed the same as he turned to Miyoko. "So you are..."

Miyoko racked her brains to come up with an excuse to stay in the castle. She thought briefly how similar or different she looked to the eighteen-year-old girl she was the first time they met. "My name's Miyoko. I'm here to offer housekeeping services." she said finally. She felt as if it was a weak excuse, but she didn't have any further questions, so she assumed that it meant she was free to stay. That was, as long as she actually did some homemaker-type stuff. She was already cooking, and she couldn't live here without at least cleaning something, since the castle was about the furthest thing from intact she could think of.

The three human people had breakfast around the table. Miyoko didn't say much, too shy of these people. She still had a teenage mind, and getting a little tongue-tied around cute guys was natural. Markl seemed to become a lot friendlier a lot quicker. He'd pretty much accepted her.

After about ten minutes, Howl abruptly said "What do you have in your hoodie pocket, Miyoko?"

"What the hell-" began Miyoko, but then she felt a piece of card in the pocket. She brought it out, and had a look. The only thing she could understand was a heart.

"Pass it over here." Miyoko did so, but as Howl's slim hand took the paper, it fell and stuck to the table.

Howl seemed to have no trouble deciphering it. "Kind of powerful sorcery, but kind of modern too. 'I will have your heart yet, and that's a promise! Love, your future girlfriend.' That note can't keep lying around." He only had to pass a hand over it to make the note become unstuck and flutter out the window. He then left to go upstairs, ordering on the way, "Calcifer, heat up the water for the shower."

"Why don't we just get a tank that does that?" Calcifer complained, but he did it.

Markl looked at Miyoko suspiciously. "OK, so maybe you're not a witch, but I know that there are some witches out there, so you must have crossed paths with one. Are you working with one?"

Miyoko scowled. "No, I'm not. I can't explain what happened, but you might want to look out for a thin fair girl." She was glad she could talk about Rosaria, even though she couldn't say a word about what Rosaria had done to her.

After that, Miyoko got to work on her new job. She couldn't stand having to breathe dust all the time. She didn't have asthma, but she could get it at any time with the dust.

It was about an hour cleaner when Miyoko heard Calcifer calling weakly "Miyoko! Give me a log! I'm going out! Please!"

Miyoko sighed, and picked up a bunch of logs to put them nearer the hearth, then putting one on Calcifer. "There." she said. "You can reach them now, so you don't have to ask one of us to put more on."

"Thanks." Calcifer muttered. He didn't really enjoy having to thank people.

A few days passed, and Miyoko began to settle into a routine in the castle. She would cook and clean, but she was in no way a housewife type. She liked doing the work, but she didn't act submissive at all. As for her interaction, she was quite happy. She'd soon learned to like Calcifer. In spite of his whining nearly all the time, he was interesting and fun to talk to, although Miyoko still didn't have a clue how to break the spell that kept him there. Markl was also easy to like. He was still a kid, of course. She really enjoyed talking to him. Her robot-scarecrow had hung around too, and happily helped with a few things, although he couldn't actually come into the castle.

There was one more thing Miyoko was less nervous about. She hardly ever saw Howl, which was really good for her, but puzzling, since he was basically known for owning the castle.

She was actually fairly happy apart from being nearly fifty. Being a housekeeper gave her something to do, although she felt a little bit stereotyped as a homemaker. At night, she had a makeshift bed under the stairs, which, to her surprise, was absolutely cobweb-free. That was good, but surprising even to herself, considering she was actually scared of spiders and usually refused to be within a metre of them. She hadn't really noticed them when she first cleaned, still fixated on the state of the castle. In fact, maybe they hadn't even been there, for the most part, but she didn't really know.

There was only one thing that happened that Miyoko wasn't aware of. When she slept, her cursed age fell away, and for a few hours, she was a pretty black-haired girl of eighteen. But by day, she was just the middle-aged woman that kept the castle running.

**OK, did you think I'd deprive you of the hair dye scene? I'll have to do it my own way, but I couldn't take out that scene, it's just too funny. In fact "I see no point in living if I can't be beautiful" is probably my favourite line in the whole movie. So review! The hair scene will be in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we are, the next chapter. But I will definitely keep the most infamous line in this scene. Oh, and for people who find my stereotyping of gays as offensive to them or others, what I say about them is only from experience. Thanks for reviewing, SammiRichGurl, lonewolfgirl-sademo588 and Luna Bellatrix Diggory.**

Sure, Miyoko hardly ever saw Howl, but that didn't mean he was never around. He did disappear for most of the day and come back late, but he spent around three hours in the bathroom getting ready every day. Miyoko didn't have any idea why it took that long, but two hours was the least amount, and five was the most. It didn't really seem to make much of a difference, because Howl always reappeared looking exactly the same as he did that day Miyoko first met him on the street.

Until one day, about a week after Miyoko moved in. She was just about ready to cook, when she heard a scream from upstairs. It sounded something like "MY HAIR!" and a minute later, she saw Howl, in nothing but a towel, running down the stairs. The only difference she could see was that his usually golden blonde hair had turned into splashes of red and green.

"Miyoko!" he yelled from the stairs. "What did you do to my potions in the bathroom?"

Miyoko watched as he ran into the front room. "Nothing." she said. She'd just organized them carefully, but she didn't know this would happen. "I just organized them a bit."

"It didn't need to be organized! I knew where everything was!" Howl yelled furiously. "You mixed everything up, and now look what you did to my hair!"

Miyoko actually quite liked it. "I kind of like it." she said. "It's punky."

"You mean it's ruined!" Howl screamed at her. "Actually look at it! How could you?" He slumped into a chair by the fireplace. "Now look at me! I can't live with this."

Miyoko rolled her eyes. "Why can't you just dye it back to blonde or whatever?" She watched, and then stared as Howl's hair turned completely black. She tried to be optimistic, though. She actually liked black hair.

"Did you just turn it black?" she asked. "I really like it! Blonde or black, your hair's actually good." She half regretted saying this. One thing she had learned about Howl was not only that he was obsessed with his looks, but because of that, he was incredibly vain. She didn't want to make this trait any more noticeable.

"I surrender." she was able to hear Howl whisper. "I see no point in living if I can't be beautiful." That made Miyoko feel like screaming. What was the big deal on looking good? Usually she'd stereotype a guy like this as gay. It was not normal for straight guys to care this much about the way they looked.

That was when the castle grew dark and full of shadows. Calcifer began protesting "Howl...stop it. Please, not now! Cut it out."

"What's happening?" Miyoko whispered.

"He's calling the spirits of darkness." Markl replied. "I've only seen him do this once before. This girl dumped him."

"A girl seriously..." Miyoko exclaimed. "I wish I could tell my cousins-" she realized that she couldn't have such young cousins "I mean nieces – about that. You should've seen the way Topaz and Jess acted whenever the castle came into view. Even Charlotte was the same way." She realized that the state of Howl was even worse now. He was dripping with green slime and it was starting to drip onto the hearth.

Miyoko sighed. "We better get him away from there and up to the bathroom all over again." That was what she did, (accidentally having his towel fall off in the process, making her blush) but she purposely just left him.

"Even I wouldn't freak that way at any point." she complained to Calcifer as she cleared up the traces of slime left downstairs. "That was just childish. How old is that guy?"

Calcifer shrugged. "Around twenty-seven or something. He's pretty much a child, though. Get used to it."

"You know, I still have no idea how to break the contract you have." Miyoko sighed. "Can you tell me anything more about it – or about me?" That was all her own curse allowed her to say. She couldn't say the word 'curse' and use a pronoun referring to herself in the same sentence.

"Sorry, I forcibly can't." Calcifer answered. "I would, Miyoko, I really would, but it doesn't let me."

The next day, Howl hadn't made an appearance downstairs. He obviously didn't plan to go out, since the bathroom was, for once, free. But Miyoko worried about him.

"Do you think I'd annoy him if I went to ask him if he was OK?" she asked the other two occupants of the castle.

Markl shrugged. Calcifer said "Even if it seemed like that, I would. He probably is just waiting for someone to knock and ask that question."

Miyoko ascended the stairs and knocked on the never-opened door apprehensively (She'd never bothered to clean this room, thinking that it would be appreciated if she left it alone). "Can I come in?" she called. She heard something that could have been a 'yes' and opened the door. She stepped into the room. Howl was lying in a four-poster bed in the middle of the room. He'd left his hair black.

"Do you want anything?" Miyoko asked. Howl shook his head, just a tiny movement. "Are you OK?" A small nod. "Do you want me to go away?" Another head shake. "So I should stay?" A nod. "What am I supposed to do?"

Before Howl could answer that, though, something else seemed to catch his attention. He opened his blue eyes. "The Teenage Witch is trying to find the castle." he muttered, although it was clear it was more of a big deal than his tone indicated. "I'm just too scared to fight her. All I can do is run. Everyone thinks I'm so powerful, but all the magic is just to keep everyone away."

Miyoko heard something else. Something that made her doubt the stories she'd heard. "Wait a second..." she said. "Does that mean...you made up all the rumours?" She didn't need to ask, she knew it. "You did, didn't you?" Miyoko's initial nervousness was subdued. She now understood why she'd survived that fateful day. The stories about him were completely false.

"But I can't run much longer." Howl added, still in the listless tone of voice. "I have to report to Parliament, as Pendragon and Jenkins."

"It was a request." Miyoko said calmly. "You're not being forced to go."

Howl shook his head. "See that?" he pointed up to a framed scrap of paper. "When I finished my degree in Magic, I took that vow. It says that whenever summoned to help the state, I must go."

"And you have those aliases you mentioned to keep everyone away too?" Miyoko said. "You know what? If you're so scared, you should take one risk and refuse to defend the country as a stand for peace."

"You don't know what it's like." Howl muttered. "People in politics are cutthroat, whether it's against other politicians or against anything. They won't listen to me."

Miyoko felt naïve after he said that. "Isn't there anything? We both know exactly what you should do. I think the same way. Someone has to make a stand for peace against Arizona. California should be a peaceful state. I know you think the same."

There was a short pause before Howl shot up. "I've got it, Miyoko! You could go to Parliament for me, since our opinions are so similar."

"What?" Miyoko exclaimed. "I couldn't..."

"Yes, you could!" Howl said. "You've got the whole thing worked out – exactly what I'd say, if I had the courage. Just say that you're my much older stepsister, and that I'm just too scared to show up, so I sent you."

"You have to go!" Miyoko cried. "I can't do it alone."

"I'll compromise." Howl decided. "I'll disguise myself and follow you. Don't worry." He smiled at Miyoko. "I know you can do it."

Miyoko's teenage heart moved a little. It was more than the beautiful smile that did it. It was the concept. Miyoko pushed down the theory that she might have had more than just a little crush on the man in front of her, but she couldn't help but think of it more, as she prepared to go along with Howl's crazy idea.

**Yay! I'll get to have Rosaria return in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one. Please, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we go, with the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing, SammiRichGurl and lonewolfgirl-sademo588.**

Miyoko knew that she should dress in a semiformal way when she went to Parliament, so she wore her most expensive pair of jeans, and a plain short-sleeved white blouse. It was one of the few outfits she'd packed that suited her as an older woman. All her clothes, surprisingly, still fit her, although she couldn't ever wear her dresses without tights, and hadn't bothered to pack them.

Howl actually left his room and came downstairs without spending even an hour in the bathroom. He slid one of his rings over Miyoko's ring finger. "The charm on this will keep you safe." he told her. "Good luck."

Miyoko smiled at him and murmured her thanks before leaving.

She walked through. She wasn't sure whether she really expected Howl to follow through on his promise and follow her in disguise, but she wasn't going to look for it.

It was only when she got about an hour away that she reached the building. But then, a convertible came up beside her. "Oh, look who it is. Little Miss Flirt."

Miyoko looked at the blonde. "Hello, Rosaria." she said coldly. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a summons." Rosaria said proudly, tossing her hair. "By the way, thanks for sending on my love letter to Howl. I would've emailed, but that boy really has to move with the times and get a computer."

"Now, that's borderline obsessive." Miyoko said. "How old are you? Way too young, that's for sure. He's in his twenties."

"Well, you're too old!" Rosaria countered.

Miyoko shrugged. "Whose fault is that? Besides, I'm not interested in entering a romantic relationship at all, but you're just too possessive to accept it. Why don't you lift the spell?"  
Rosaria got out of the car, ready to ascend the high steps. "Sorry." she smirked. "I don't lift spells. I cast them."

Miyoko didn't really care. She'd just have to have the curse broken with other means. It's not like she expected Rosaria to do anything like that, anyway.

Rosaria groaned when she saw the stairs. "I never usually have to walk." she complained. "Now I have to do this?"

Miyoko was already halfway up. She was starting to get more energy, more like she was twenty-nine, although her exterior was still middle-aged. "Turn me back and I'll help you if you want." she called down.

"I don't need your help." Rosaria growled. But even as she said it, she stumbled, not used to walking, even on a flat surface.

"Don't you even have a wheelchair?" Miyoko called down. "Too bad I can't help you without overworking myself to death...unless you took off the curse!"

Rosaria really didn't want to admit it to the other girl, but it was the only way she'd get up the stairs properly. "I can't!" she cried. "I don't know how to lift spells, only how to cast them. It's not up to me any more."

"Too bad." Miyoko said. "You get up the stairs yourself. I did it."

Rosaria scowled as the other woman raced up the rest of the stairs, barely breaking a sweat. Rosaria had to climb on hands and knees, basically, although she managed to stand as she and Miyoko entered the building.

Rosaria was taken somewhere else while Miyoko was shown into another part of the building – a part that had survived medieval times. And like medieval times, the prime minister had a head sorceress called Natasha Rainbow, a misleadingly sweet name. The sorceress appeared young, but her vibe was imposing.

"Welcome." she greeted Miyoko calmly. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you." murmured Miyoko as she sat down.

"So you're Howl's stepsister." Natasha said. "I never knew he had a stepfamily. So why did he send you?"

"He doesn't mind admitting that he just doesn't have the courage to show up." Miyoko said, just letting words spill out of her. "I don't really think he'd be of use in the war."

Natasha frowned. "We really need him to come here. I'm sure you know how powerful he is. In fact, I've never seen such promise. But one day he lost his heart to a demon, and since then, he's only using his power for his own selfish reasons. He can't keep on like this. Being literally heartless and powerful makes him very dangerous. There are two options left. He responds to the summons and helps in the war, and I help him to get his heart back from the demon. If not, I'll have to strip him of his powers. He'll end up just like the Teenage Witch."

"Rosaria?" Miyoko said.

"Send her in!" called Natasha.

A blonde teenager stumbled into the room, assisted by a young man in a suit. Miyoko gasped. The girl wasn't the Rosaria she knew. The Rosaria she met was very pretty, pale and blue-eyed with nearly white-blonde hair. This Rosaria was blonde, and she had wide blue eyes, but she was still different. She looked more like a pixie than a witch, with eyes too big for her face and an anorexic body. She wasn't at all pretty, either.

"She, too, had so much promise as a child." Natasha said calmly. "She was so young when she, too, lost her heart to a demon. I had to strip away her powers."

A lightbulb went on in Miyoko's head. "I've got it!" she cried. "With all due respect, Ms Rainbow, I now understand why Howl was reluctant to show up. You lure people here, and then you just take away their powers. Howl is not like Rosaria. He's really a good person, even if he's selfish, vain, and unreadable. All he wants is freedom." As Miyoko spoke, the silver streaks in her hair disappeared, her voice grew younger, and her face lost its lines. "Howl doesn't need your help. He'll deal with the heart thing on his own."

Natasha surveyed Miyoko, and at that moment Miyoko knew that Natasha knew she wasn't really Howl's stepsister or even related. "I understand now. You've fallen in love with him."

Miyoko was shocked back into the curse.

Rosaria gripped the cuff of Miyoko's jeans. "Did you just say Howl was going to show up?" she cried. "I really do have to speak with him. Plus, I really have to have his heart. It's rightfully mine!"

"Shut the shiz up!" Miyoko hissed, braver now that Rosaria was no threat. "Howl isn't going to come here."

"I think he will." Natasha said calmly. "In fact, I think he's nearly here already."

**The rest of the visit will be in the next chapter. What do you think of Natasha? It may be a little bit unnecessary, but I wanted an unlikely person to be the Suliman of today. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Next chapter! Yay! Thanks for reviewing, SammiRichGurl and lonewolfgirl-sademo588.**

_Nearly here already? _Natasha's words echoed in Miyoko's head. She glanced out the window, seeing what was like a several person hang glider with a platform for passengers. Someone appeared from outside, and walked in.

"Hello, Ms Rainbow." he greeted her. "Who are your guests?"

"Oh, this is Howl's stepsister, sir." Natasha replied calmly, even though Miyoko knew that Natasha knew the truth.

When the man turned to her, Miyoko still didn't know who he was by his face. "Thank you for coming." he said. "But really, it seems as if instead of using magic for the war, we need to kill their fight with peace."

But at that moment, the man's doppelganger walked in. "I've got a new defense plan, Natasha! This will really help us win the war!" He looked at his double and said "Wow, Natasha, you've outdone yourself. I could almost forget who I am with that double around! It's perfect!" And out he walked, chuckling.

Miyoko looked up.

Natasha's smile was still calm and unyielding. "It's been a long time, Howl." she finally said.

"It has, Ms Rainbow." replied the man, who Miyoko now knew the true identity of.

"Not much of a disguise." Natasha said.  
"I wasn't planning on fooling anyone." A familiar arm wrapped around Miyoko's shoulders, and suddenly Howl's disguise had fallen away. All she could see was the guy she knew, just wearing the clothes of the official. "Now, I'm afraid my stepsister and I must leave."

"Oh, really?" Natasha raised her foot and tapped the floor, and suddenly it seemed as if they were in the sky. Arches of colour surged around Miyoko and Howl.

"It's time." Natasha's voice said. Miyoko stared up at Howl again when she felt tension. To her surprise, he was half covered in feathers. Rosaria still clung to her jean cuff, with a little cry.

She saw something fly towards her, and remembered what Natasha had told her. "It's just a trap!" she shrieked.

Suddenly, everything cleared. They were out of that part of the building. Most of Howl's feathers had disappeared, and the rest slowly fell away as he landed Miyoko on the hang glider's platform and began to fly it.

"Hang on!" he called. Then he glanced back at Rosaria. "Did she have to come with us?"

Miyoko shook the girl off and sighed "Well, I can't exactly let her plummet to her doom now." she sighed. "She's suffered enough for now."

"Miyoko, you better take my place." Howl suddenly said

"What?" Miyoko cried. "I don't have any experience with this! I can't fly this!"

"Don't worry." Howl reassured her. "I'm sure you can do this. All you need to do is direct the wings. I better distract the officials chasing us." Miyoko glanced back and saw the many officials coming after them. There was no choice. She'd have to...well, wing it.

Miyoko had a go. The wings swooped and dipped all the time, but stayed up. Howl just laughed whenever she lost control.

"You're good at this." he said.

"Crazy boy." Miyoko muttered. "Why did you get me to come here and then make this happen? If you were in a real disguise, like you said, then this wouldn't have happened."

"Knowing you'd be there gave me the courage to show myself with nothing to hide. I couldn't face her on my own." Howl said simply. He smiled. "You know, Miyoko, she nearly got me. You saved me." There was a pause before he said "You'll have to fly on your own for now. You just have to get back to the castle. I have to distract them. I can get you a few minutes of invisibility, but that's all, so use it effectively."

Miyoko could actually see the castle through the still-misty sky. She took a deep breath and whispered "OK. Just don't get hurt."

Howl smiled at her, looking completely calm, and then Miyoko and Rosaria, along with the hang-glider, seemed to disappear.

It didn't really take that long to reach the castle. Miyoko was soon metres away from it.

"Hey, Miyoko!" Markl was standing on one of the balconies, waving.

"Hey, Markl!" Miyoko called back. "Just wait for me to get this thing on the ground!" Unfortunately, she ended up crashing into the side of the castle. The hang-glider broke and lay outside the castle, but both Miyoko and Rosaria were unhurt. Miyoko heard Calcifer scream on the impact, but he seemed completely fine when she got in sight of the hearth.

Markl ran down the stairs and asked Miyoko "Are you OK? What happened?"

Miyoko tried to smile. "I'm fine. I kind of had this one latch onto me." She pointed to Rosaria.

Rosaria glared at her and unsteadily stood up and tried to walk over. "If I still had my powers..." she muttered.

"Save it." Miyoko scowled. "You're lucky I'm letting you stay here. If you did still have your powers, I'd have hung a warning sign on you by now."

Miyoko was unaware of some of the dangers she'd encounter soon enough. She'd accidentally a headband at Parliament, unaware that her belonging could lead Natasha to the castle. She didn't think twice about what had happened to Howl there, oblivious to the warning the event held. She worried a little bit about how it would be with Rosaria around, but she doubted the Teenage Witch was any threat without her powers.

But there was one thing that Miyoko was completely aware of. She knew Howl better than she had thought previously. She still didn't know enough to do her part of the deal she'd made with Calcifer, but she knew enough. Enough to know that her life was safe. And enough to know that the butterflies she sometimes got were nothing to do with fear.

**Well, Miyoko knows how she feels. By the way, I know I left a real-life version of Heen out. It's for a purpose. Now please review!**

**Also, please vote on my profile poll! If you don't know about it, please read my story it refers to. I'm desperate for reviews on it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Next chapter up. Hope you like it! Also, just a warning, I'm changing the yellow portal to be a little bit updated. Now, thanks to reviewers SammiRichGurl, Emerald Eme-Pon Walker and to overcome reality.**

Miyoko woke up to the sound of running water. Calcifer was muttering something to himself, which made Miyoko guess what was happening. She'd had a nightmare where her subconscious showed that she really had been disturbed by what had happened the day before.

She got up and went over to Calcifer. "I take it Howl's back and using up all the hot water again?" she asked with a smile.

Calcifer looked more anxious than usual. "Yeah, but be serious. Our situation is getting critical. You really need to get to work on breaking the spell on me. Howl's fast running out of time."

"What?" Miyoko asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Calcifer sighed. "I'm not allowed to tell you the specifics, and you should know that by now."

Miyoko's eyes lit up. "Is this to do with Howl's heart being taken? Natasha Rainbow mentioned it yesterday. Do you know about that?"

"I'm not allowed to say anything!" Calcifer repeated. Miyoko opened her mouth to continue, but Calcifer said quickly "Don't try threatening me. If I die, Howl goes with me."

Miyoko scowled, but complied. She decided to go outside for a bit. Silver Scarecrow followed her.

"Hey, Silver." she smiled in a friendly way. It was unexpectedly nice to have SS around her. He really seemed to like her. "What's up?"

They had breakfast about an hour later. Of course, SS wasn't inside, but he hung around outside, looking as if he was watching, not that anyone minded. Rosaria wouldn't eat.

Miyoko looked at her closely. "You need to eat something. Otherwise you'll be..." she realized what the problem was. "You're anorexic, aren't you? How did I miss that?"

Rosaria scowled. "I don't want food. I want to be thin. What's wrong with that?"

"You look like the living dead." Miyoko said simply. "We may not have a tube feed here, but I am not above force-feeding you." Rosaria gave a dramatic sigh, and then cleared a plate.

"Why would you bother?" Calcifer said from the hearth. "That's the Teenage Witch."  
"She's no threat."

"She keeps looking at me and smirking." Calcifer complained. Indeed, Rosaria had glanced at him multiple times thoughtfully, as if she knew something no one else realized.

At that moment, Howl put in an appearance. "Hello!" he said brightly.

"Hey." Miyoko said with a smile. Everyone else mumbled "hi"s, even Rosaria. She caught Howl's attention at that moment.

He didn't seem bothered, but he did say "The Teenage Witch? How come you let her in, Calcifer?"

"It was all Miyoko's fault!" Calcifer said. "She crashed that hang-glider right into the castle."

Howl laughed. "I knew she was a good flyer!" Miyoko rolled her eyes and grinned. "Anyway," Howl continued. "We're moving today."

"Yay!" Markl cheered. "I hate being stuck in the middle of nowhere all the time."

"Natasha Rainbow is following us." Howl explained. "So we have to leave quickly."

The move, Miyoko thought, was pretty amazing. About an hour after the announcement, Rosaria, Markl and Miyoko were on the table, and Howl was standing with a fireproof scoop that had Calcifer on it in the middle of a circle drawn with strange symbols. The move itself took about thirty seconds. Miyoko had to admit, she loved it.

The castle's interior was airy and light. There was an extra bathroom, and two extra bedrooms. There were two different places the dials led to. Miyoko noticed the blue was now yellow.

For one split second, when Miyoko saw her room, she was young again. But it only lasted a second, before the grey streaks and the worry lines came back. Then she looked out the window. "Santa Monica!" she exclaimed. "This is where the red portal goes to now?"

Markl opened the door and grinned. "I've actually got somewhere to have fun!" He ran around, full of excitement.

Howl leaned out the door and pointed over. "That shop over there is ours too." He then closed the door and changed the dial to yellow. "Miyoko, here." He opened the door to a park full of flowers. "This is for you."

Miyoko looked outside. Further up was a set of swings that looked like they were meant for adults more than kids, and even further was a tiny little house.

Miyoko gasped at the beauty of it. Howl took her hand and led her along. "What do you think?" he asked. "This is kind of my secret park."

"It's – it's beautiful." Miyoko whispered. For one moment, Miyoko was feeling so overwhelmed. It wasn't painful, though. Her emotions were overflowing.

She walked a little further down by herself. Then she turned to Howl. "This is amazing!" she cried. "Absolutely perfect!" She looked different for a moment. Her hair, which she'd left loose, was shiny and midnight black. Her face was smooth and while she had a few spots, it didn't stop her looking pretty and young. The eighteen-year-old was back, if only for a short time. Miyoko stood dreaming for a moment.

"Miyoko?"

Miyoko looked at Howl, who was still watching her. "It's like I already know this place," she said. "Except that I know I haven't been here before."

Howl smiled and held out a hand to her. "Come on." The girl took it. They both went closer to the little cottage.

"That used to be my sanctuary." Howl explained. "I was here a lot when I was a child, and even as a teenager. My uncle was a wizard, and he gave me this place to study. And now it's yours."

That was when Miyoko realized exactly how she was feeling. She looked around the garden, and then back at Howl. She connected her almond eyes to his sapphire, and let herself know exactly what she'd just felt.

"_Miyoko, I hope this is not because of the reason every girl feels this way." _she thought. "_After all this time, I know it. Natasha was right. I've fallen totally in love with Howl."_

**What do you think? Review and tell me!**


	10. Chapter 10

**OK, I've gotta do the rest of this scene. This was the point where, in the movie, I was thinking "I know you two like each other, JUST GET TOGETHER!" So enjoy! Thanks for reviewing, Emerald Eme-Pon Walker (the only reviewer).**

But through this realization, Miyoko realized something was wrong. She remembered what Calcifer had told her that morning, too. Howl caught the look on her face, and asked, concerned, "What's wrong?"

"It's just – I don't get it." Miyoko whispered. "It seems as if you think you're going to leave. I just have a feeling. Please, Howl, tell me what's happening. I don't care what it is, I just have to know."

"I'm just setting everything up." Howl answered. "Everything is just so you can all live a good life."

This set off alarm bells in her head. "So you are leaving." She couldn't stand knowing that. "Please, Howl, tell me what's going on. I could help. Although, I know I'm not like most of those girls. Not that really pretty type. Plus I'm not really good at much apart from housekeeping."

Howl stared at her. "How can you say that? You're beautiful, Miyoko!"

The spell came back. The grey streaks came back. Miyoko was still cursed, and just as old as ever. She still smiled a little, although it was forced. Before she could answer that, though, a war aircraft flew overhead.

Howl scowled. "Why is that here? It's just going to bomb innocent people's houses."

"The war must be increasing." Miyoko whispered. "I hope it doesn't reach Santa Monica." For the first time since she ran away, she realized she hadn't thought of her family properly. Her parents. Her brother, Satoshi. Her sister, Aria. Her cousins, Topaz, Jessica and Charlotte. She hoped they were OK. But now, she realized, she cared about the new people in her life just as much.

"Is it ours or Arizona's?" Miyoko asked out loud.

"Not much difference." Howl muttered. "It's still going to kill people. It can't happen." He held a slim hand up and made a gesture. Miyoko watched in anticipation and slight fear, to see how the aircraft reacted. It seemed to stop working.

"What did you do?" Miyoko asked, hoping it wouldn't involve the passengers getting hurt.

"Cut the engine. Not so it'll crash." Howl answered, guessing what she was thinking. That was when Miyoko noticed the black feathery tips that had appeared on Howl's arm after he'd done that to the aircraft. She gasped, suddenly understanding more about what had happened at Parliament.

That's when the plane shot out little things, like miniature blobby creatures that Miyoko remembered on that fateful evening. And just like that evening, Howl seemed unconcerned.

"Those are from Rainbow." he said. "Let's go." He set off running, holding Miyoko's hand. She found it hard to keep up with him.

"Faster!" As Howl spoke, wings sprouted, and suddenly, both were in the air. He was holding Miyoko's hands, again, just like that evening. Miyoko tried her hardest not to look down, but they soon reached the tiny concrete structure which was really the castle.

Miyoko only had a tiny warning before Howl let go of her, and she landed right inside the castle, on the stairs. The dial turned to red, and Markl ran in, looking surprised to see Miyoko. "What happened?" he asked.

Miyoko sighed, slowly getting up. "It doesn't matter. But it wasn't fun."

The rest of the day was pretty good, really. Miyoko did her usual things. She even tried to be friendly to Rosaria, who, for most of the day, was bored and still unable to walk straight. Miyoko didn't even get mad at her when she stole her Ipod, although she took it back pointedly.

Howl hadn't come back, but everyone else assured Miyoko that it was normal for Howl to disappear on the castle for days, so she didn't expect him back any time soon. Although she missed him a lot.

In the evening, after Markl had disappeared up to his room, she noticed Rosaria looked like she had something to say.

"What do you want to say to me?" she asked.

Rosaria smirked. "You've fallen for him." she said. "Now you know how I felt."

Miyoko looked at the other girl, the former witch. "I find it very hard to believe. Natasha Rainbow said your heart was stolen. Your heart couldn't possibly backflip, or pick up the pace, and I find it even trickier to believe you could ever have butterflies."

"I'm still in love." Rosaria said softly, staring straight ahead. She had to use the front room as her bedroom, where she spent most of her time, so her gaze was mainly directed at Calcifer, who was still unnerved by her continuous looks. "I can't help wanting the heart..."

Miyoko sighed. "That's not how it happens, you total...total...well, bitch is too kind a word for you."

Rosaria laughed at her. "You know it. But I just like hot guys."

"But having someone's heart doesn't make them fall in love with you." Miyoko pointed out.

Rosaria glanced at Calcifer again. "Maybe, maybe not."  
Miyoko looked at the other girl, and then said quietly "Goodnight, Rosaria."

Rosaria smiled, this time, looking as if she was actually capable of being understanding for the first time. "Goodnight...Miyoko. I'm staying up for a bit, though."

"Call me if you need help moving." Miyoko teased.

"It's _walking_ I have trouble with!" Rosaria said, sounding fierce but smiling teasingly. She looked at Calcifer again. "It's lucky you have a fire demon. I bet Rainbow's things are looking everywhere for the castle." She smirked again, saying "Maybe I should have done that when I had the powers. Instead, all I got was _you."_

Miyoko suddenly realized how Rosaria had seen her. "You sent those blobby creatures after Howl, didn't you?" she exclaimed.

"The fire demon has a name!" Calcifer added. Miyoko laughed, knowing he didn't really mind what Rosaria called him, in reality.

"Yeah, it was me. Whatever." Rosaria said, still smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow."

**Am I supposed to be getting fond of Rosaria? Whatever, I still don't really like her that much, but hey, it's part of the deal that she becomes nicer. Now just review and tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Next, I have something I've been dying to do. Thanks for reviewing, SammiRichGurl, Princess-Sayuri13 and Epic Blowtorch.**

The next day, Santa Monica had been told that Arizona was planning to launch an attack on them, and people were running. Miyoko was inside most of the time, not bothering. That was until Markl rushed in from the shop.

"Miyoko, there's some girl here, and she's acting kind of weird!"

"Wha-" Miyoko looked as a girl of about fourteen came into view. The girl looked back at her. Miyoko's eyes widened, and so did the other girl's.

"Topaz?" Miyoko whispered.  
"Oh my – MIYOKO!" her cousin screamed, running at her and hugging her. Then she yelled out "Jess! Char! Over here, like, right now!"

Topaz's sisters appeared. Charlotte hung back, shocked by Miyoko's age, but Jessica reacted the exact way Topaz had, hugging Miyoko so hard her ribs nearly broke.

"Where did you go? We were so worried after you went missing!" exclaimed Jessica. "The last time anyone other than us in the house saw you was Aria, and she said she hadn't seen you since she dropped you off outside. What happened to your age?"

"Did you get cursed or something?" Charlotte asked nervously.

"Can't talk about it, like, literally can't." Miyoko said. "I'm working as a housekeeper here. Do you three want to come in?"

The three girls followed their cousin. "How do you keep things so clean?" Topaz asked. "I've seen your room."

"I think you're confusing my room with Jess' room." Miyoko replied. "Besides, we moved in here recently. Up until then, we were in LA."

As the girls talked to Miyoko excitedly, no one noticed when Topaz edged away and placed a tiny pouch on the table.

"Are you going to come home?" Jessica asked. "They say it's not safe in Santa Monica. Besides, you should go back to school."

"That's OK." Miyoko said. "I like working here, and I can leave school. I'm going to be eighteen soon. Look, I'll keep in touch."

"We have to get going, anyway." Topaz said quickly. "Bye!"

Charlotte knew what Topaz was assigned to do, and she felt guilty as the three girls got into the car, and the keys were given back to their aunt.

"What's up?" asked Satoshi.

"Miyoko." whispered Charlotte. "I hope she'll forgive us for it."

In fact, Miyoko hadn't known about the pouch. The car keys were stolen, and Natasha Rainbow had enlisted the family's help to get to the castle, hence why Topaz had been there in the first place. But while Miyoko was out, Rosaria had already sensed it, and made sure everything Natasha had put in the pouch that was harmful was disposed of. The one thing she did find she fed to Calcifer.

Meanwhile, Miyoko watched people leaving Santa Monica, Markl by her side, wearing his old man disguise.

"Do you want to leave with them, Miyoko?" he asked. "Those girls wanted you to go with them."

Miyoko shrugged. "At least I was able to regain touch with them."

Markl suddenly hugged the woman. "Don't leave, Miyoko, please!" he cried. Miyoko looked down at him, realizing that he sounded near to tears. "I love you. Please stay!"

Markl's outburst made Miyoko feel wanted. She loved Markl too, like a little brother. "I love you too, Markl." she whispered. "I was never going to leave. I'm staying."

Markl looked up at her, a radiant smile on his face. "Cause we're really a family now."

"Yes..." Miyoko said softly and dreamily. "We are..." Really, she was still wishing the family could be complete. She didn't want to be the stepsister, or the housekeeper, or even the room mate who had a crush on the guy who owned the place. She wanted to be the girlfriend.

When they got in that night, something seemed strange. Rosaria was smoking a cigarette, and Calcifer seemed to be unusually weak. He just couldn't get going, no matter what Miyoko did.

"I have a feeling that the smoke might be the problem." Miyoko decided. "Could you stub that thing out?"

"Nope." Rosaria muttered. "By the way, you better not open a window. Rainbow's minions could get in with Calcifer being this weak, and none of us want that."

"So I can't even let the smoke out?" complained Miyoko. But she looked out the window, and could tell there was going to be a lot of danger. She could see fire, battle planes, and knew that there was a reason everyone was leaving Santa Monica, her beloved hometown. "Look, I've got to go make sure the shop is OK. Everyone else, stay inside!" She didn't know why she felt a pull to check on the shop, but she simply felt that she had to.

But as soon as she reached the shop, the minions surrounded her.

"What's the concern with me?" Miyoko cried. As she spoke, she felt her voice go back to the girl who was going to be eighteen in a week. She was suddenly back to her regular self, before she was cursed, and this time, it felt like it was probably permanent. What she didn't realize is that while her thick black hair was mostly back to normal, there were still a few silvery streaks through it.

She delayed the minions, but then she saw some things flying down below her. But one flew faster than the rest. It was more feathery than the others. Miyoko's heart picked up the pace, going crazy and doing gymnastics. She knew it could only be one person.

**Sure, that chapter was OK, but it's nearing the end. I hope you liked this chapter. Now please review, even if you didn't.**


	12. Chapter 12

**OK, next up, a little bit of sweetness. Thanks for reviewing, animelover.**

"Howl!" Miyoko ran to the now raven-like wizard, and hugged him. This was the first time she'd compared him to a raven, but then again, this was the first time she'd seen him completely covered in feathers, except for his face.

"Sorry, Miyoko." he whispered. "I didn't get here fast enough." He hugged her back.

"I'm just glad you're alive!" Miyoko whispered back. The minions were staring to get around her distraction, and Howl spotted them. He immediately flew her into the castle, and the blobs couldn't get in.

"You guys are OK!" Markl cried in relief. He looked at the young Miyoko with slight confusion, but seemed to understand that she'd been under a spell.

Howl immediately went to Calcifer, and with another hand movement, the fire demon sprang up, coughing, but seemingly OK.

Rosaria was still smoking the cigarette nonchalantly. Howl addressed her. "Did that cigarette come from Natasha Rainbow?" he questioned. In fact, Rosaria was smoking from a pack found in Rainbow's pouch.

"I don't think it's that." Calcifer said weakly. "It was something she got me to swallow. It made me feel sick. I still do."

Rosaria shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

Miyoko sighed, snatched the cigarette from her, and stubbed it out. "Rosaria, what did you do?" she demanded.

"Don't blame me." Rosaria snapped back. "That cousin of yours left it here. She was working for Rainbow."

Miyoko stared. "Topaz did this?" Charlotte's face flashed in her mind. She'd seen her looking slightly guilty, and now she knew why. "She did, didn't she? Jessica and Charlotte were in on it!" She scowled fiercely. "Once this war ends, I'm going to have it out with them." She turned her attention back to what was happening now.

Howl planned to leave to protect the castle. "Stay in here." he told the residents as he turned towards the door.

"No, wait!" Miyoko cried. Even if she hadn't fallen in love, she'd still have done it. "You can't go!" Miyoko cried. "What if you get hurt?"

"I have to go out and fight." Howl replied, face serious. "Calcifer's too weak to protect everything."

"We could run." Miyoko said desperately. "You could die out there! Please."

"I've run away all my life, but I can't run this time." Howl told her. "This time I have something to protect." Miyoko stared up at him, dark eyes wide. "You." And with that, the wizard Miyoko loved flew out of the castle.

Miyoko knew better than to leave the castle. She sank down onto a chair, rubbing her head, a physical version of racking her brains. She knew she'd have to do something. She had to make sure Howl didn't get hurt. She'd just have to work out how to do it.

Suddenly, she had a thought. "Guys, the castle itself is attached to the hills, right? So if we somehow separate the dials, the only thing to protect will be the castle. Santa Monica is the most dangerous place, so we have to separate the red dial from the others, at the least." She glanced around, and then said "Calcifer, you're the source of power to the castle, right?"

"What are you getting at?" Calcifer asked with a suspicious look.

"If you were to leave the castle, would the dial stop working?"

"Yes, but the castle will collapse! How are you planning to get me out of here, anyway?"

"Wait." was all Miyoko said. She quickly told everyone else what's happening. "Markl, you and Rosaria go outside. She might need some help getting down the stairs." Then she picked up the fireproof scoop, and got Calcifer.

"This is crazy!" Calcifer said insistently. "You can't do this!" Miyoko ignored him, so he added "At least make sure I go out last. Something will happen to the castle, even if it doesn't collapse."

The minute Miyoko and Calcifer will out, the castle did exactly as predicted.

"I told you!" Calcifer said loudly.

Miyoko looked around. SS was near, so she said "OK. Silver, help me find the way back in. Markl, Rosaria, stay out here until I tell you to come back in." The night was cold, and everyone human was shivering, but they stayed. This was the first time they'd seen Miyoko like this. Although she seemed strong enough, she'd never taken charge like this, almost coming off as bossy. But then, she'd never fallen in love before.

For the first time, Silver came into the remains of the castle. Miyoko called everyone in, and then realized the one flaw in her plan. "Dammit! Howl's going to keep protecting the red dial. We have to tell him the castle isn't there any more." She turned to Calcifer. "You have to get the castle to go to Santa Monica."

Calcifer stared at her. "How am I supposed to do that? There's no chimney here!"

Miyoko looked back, and then smiled. "I'm pretty sure you can do this. Seriously."

Calcifer seemed to deliberate. Finally he said "I'll try. But I need something of yours. I can't do it on my own at the moment. You know I'm not that strong at the moment. What about your eyes?"

Miyoko backed away. "What? My eyes? Does that mean I'd be blind? Does it have to be something essential?"

At that moment, her dark hair brushed against her shoulders, and she realized how she'd do it. "Has anyone got a hairband?" she asked.

Everyone stared at her, but nevertheless, Rosaria pulled one out of her jean pocket and tossed it over. Miyoko tied her hair up loosely and pulled her ponytail over. "Will my hair do?" she asked Calcifer.

Her answer came straight off, as Calcifer took most of her ponytail. And it did seem to help, as he was soon blazing, and although a lot of the castle had crumbled, enough of it was running down the mountains to Santa Monica.

Miyoko's hair still reached her shoulders. Her hair was so long that she hadn't had to give up all of it.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you were able to get the castle to move this fast, Calcifer!"

"Think of what I could have done with your eyes, or even your heart!" Calcifer answered.

Rosaria's eyes lit up. "Now I get it!"

**I thought that this would be a good place to end the chapter. Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**OK, we've got a lot more ground to cover, during and after the movie. No reviews for last chapter, huh?**

Miyoko was focused on what she could see down at Santa Monica. Her eyes fixed on what was only a raven dot now, but she knew what it really was.

"There's Howl! It looks like he's in trouble. Could you possibly go even faster, Calcifer?" That's when she saw what Rosaria was doing. She had grabbed Calcifer out of the hearth.

"I can't believe I found it, after all this time! I have Howl's heart in my own hand!" she cried.

The castle began to lurch and everyone was screaming, including Calcifer.

"Put him back in the hearth!" Miyoko screamed. "You're burning!"

"No!" Rosaria screamed back. "You know what I've gone through to get this! I'm not letting go of it!"

Miyoko looked around, desperate to find something to make Rosaria let go. Her eyes caught sight of a forgotten glass of water.

Cursing herself for doing this but not realizing the consequences, she threw the contents of the glass at Rosaria.

The fire was gone, but a blue light was still clasped in the hands of the former witch, who burst into tears.

"How could you?" she sobbed. "I thought you were nice for just a few days! You backstabbed me, and you probably killed Howl in the process!"

Miyoko froze. She'd forgotten that Howl's fate was intertwined with Calcifer's. Truth is, she didn't even remember that water would kill Calcifer. She didn't even move as the castle's structure broke in two. Miyoko went one way and everyone else went the other.

Seconds later, Miyoko sat crumpled in front of a door that was once part of the castle, crying bitterly. "I killed them." she whispered. "Why did I have to throw water? Why couldn't I have done something else?"

She only stopped when she realized the ring on her finger was glowing. She'd forgotten about it ever since she first got it, when she went to face Rainbow.

It was glowing towards the door. Miyoko had an instinct that told her it was important, and she followed it through the darkness behind the door.

It ended in a grassy plain, bathed in moonlight. She saw a set of swings further up, and a boy of about twelve on one of the swings, head tilted up to watch the sky. Even from this viewpoint, Miyoko caught a glimpse of the blue orbs, so pure and deep for a child.

"I'd know those eyes anywhere." Miyoko whispered. "I've somehow gone back to the time when Howl was a kid!"

There were shooting stars everywhere. Miyoko watched in shock as the young Howl caught a star, and seemed to...swallow it?

There was a burst of light and the young boy suddenly held a familiar flame.

Miyoko suddenly connected the dots. No heart...a demon...the star...Calcifer and Howl's curse. "My curse might be broken," she whispered. "Now it's time to break this one."

Suddenly, the grass disappeared from under her trainers. In desperation, she called out. "Howl! It's Miyoko! You'll see me in the future! I'll help! Just remember me, please!"

The last thing she saw was the young Howl looking up in surprise.

Miyoko tumbled through time, through starry nights, through sunny days. The good and the bad. In fact, time rushed before her eyes, her life flashing before her – but only the times since the time it must have been. She would have been three years old at the time she'd just been in. She saw herself at five years old, witnessing the birth of Topaz, and months later, Jessica. The seven year old version of herself holding baby Charlotte, and at ten, a toddler Satoshi. She saw herself studying as a freshman, spilling out her worries to her senior student sister Aria as a sophomore, going out with her friends as a junior. And finally, riding on the bus to the supermarket, getting lost, Howl flying up with her in tow, Rosaria cursing her, Howl getting mad because his hair potions got mixed up, Rosaria having lost her powers, her curse breaking...her throwing water over Calcifer...

It hurt to remember what she'd done. She killed the fire demon, probably. And that meant, she probably killed the one person she cared most about.

Miyoko was suddenly standing back where she'd begun, but one thing was different.

A raven-feathered...thing huddled in the corner of the wreckage of the castle. Miyoko knew it at first glance, and took a tentative step closer.

"Howl?" she whispered. No response. She pushed a few of the feathers back to reveal the face she knew. But it was all wrong. The face was blank. There was no vibrant light in those blue eyes she knew so well. The expression was cold.

_The lights are on but no one's home. _The words flew through Miyoko's head, but she shook her head fiercely. However much it didn't seem like it, the Howl she knew was still there, somewhere.

"You've got to still be in there." she said out loud. She now knew what she had to do. "Can you take me to Calcifer?"

The face didn't respond, but soon the raven-feathered wizard and the young woman landed on a square of wood, supported by skinny metal poles, still able to walk, and holding everyone else, including SS.

The minute they touched down, the feathers suddenly disappeared, and the human Howl lay there, unconscious.

Markl carefully stood up and walked over. "Is he dead?" he asked, without any emotion, simply his child's curiosity.

Miyoko shook her head and looked over at Rosaria, who was still clutching the blue light.

She knelt down in front of the opposite girl. "Listen. Howl has to have that back."

Rosaria's eyes flickered, as she tried to look for an escape route. Finally, she just said "What? I have nothing."

"Don't try it." Miyoko said. Her words sounded firm, but her voice was pleading. "Rosaria, I know this is what you've looked for, but even having someone's heart won't force them to love you. Right now, the choice is death or heart. Please."

Rosaria concentrated on the floor for a moment. Finally, she said "He'll never love me. I had a crazy hope that I could do it, if it was literal. But I can tell, we're on the same level. Miyoko...It's weird, but I actually know what I should do. Take care of it." And she opened her cupped hands and passed the fire over to Miyoko.

**I know there's more to this scene, but I'll keep the rest until next chapter. Review, please! Why aren't there any reviews yet? Please send them in!**


	14. Chapter 14

**OK, so we've got the ending of the movie coming, but am I going to end the story there? No way! Thanks for reviewing, Yuuki-Chan-13 and Chuu112!**

Miyoko looked down at her hands and the light. "Calcifer?" she whispered.

The familiar face appeared. "Miyoko. I feel drained."

"I worked it out." Miyoko whispered. "The curse. But if I give Howl his heart back, what will happen to you?"

"I think I could be OK." Calcifer answered. "I mean, we survived when you threw water on me. So I think you could do it and I'll survive."

"I'll try." Miyoko answered. Before she did it, she whispered "Please let Calcifer live, and let Howl get his heart back." It was almost like a prayer. Miyoko wasn't really one for praying, but for once, she didn't feel weird saying it. She gently pushed the flickering fire into Howl's chest, exactly where his heart would go.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a star floated into the air. Calcifer's voice came from it, and Miyoko realized that being separated had sent him back into the form of the star he was before that one night Miyoko witnessed. He sounded much stronger, and happier than she'd ever heard. She had to smile at the energetic star.

"I'm alive!" Calcifer cried. "It worked, and I'm alive, and now I'm free! For now, I'm outta here!" He disappeared into the distance, laughing.

But the second he disappeared, the poles broke. Suddenly, the wooden board turned into a sledge down the hill – the most dangerous hill to go down.

"It's because Calcifer left!" Markl called out. Rosaria began screaming in fear. Even Howl reacted by moving a tiny bit, even though he still didn't wake up. Miyoko shut her eyes tightly, so she didn't see SS jump in front of the boards and slow it down, finally having it stop on a flat part of the hill.

Well, Miyoko noticed it then. "Silver!" she cried. "You saved us? Wow...but your metal's completely dented and starting to wear..." she realized. And then she thought about how kind SS had been to her. She knew he had feelings, even though he didn't talk, so she smiled and kissed him on the cheek, wondering if that meant anything.

But as she did that, his robotic scarecrow form changed. He was suddenly a young man in a tuxedo. He smiled at Miyoko and said "Thank you, Miyoko."

Miyoko stared at him, recognizing his face from the news. "You...you are..."

"The missing royal from Arizona, Jackson Salaam." the man finished, chuckling at her speech problem. "I was cursed to become a robotic scarecrow."

Rosaria looked thoughtful. "I think I remember that curse. A kiss from the enemy breaks that. Since Miyoko is from California, she would have counted as the enemy to you, someone from Arizona."

Jackson nodded. "If it wasn't for Miyoko, I would have been like that for the rest of my life – forever, since robots don't die."

At that moment, a familiar voice broke her thoughts. "Oh...what's happened? What..."

Miyoko smiled, and turned back. Howl had finally regained consciousness. "Hi." she said.

"What happened?" Howl questioned. "I feel like there's a weight on me now. It's half-familiar, but..."

At that moment, a surge of relief filled Miyoko. "Only you could tell when your heart was back after you lost it." she replied teasingly.

Howl looked back at Miyoko, as if seeing her for the first time. "I never noticed those silver streaks in your hair. It's amazing, like you have moonlight in your hair. It's so beautiful. _You're _beautiful."

Miyoko laughed a little bit at the cheesiness of the comment. Where was the "I-know-exactly-what-to-say-to-girls" man she knew? But then she smiled. "Really? I think you're just as beautiful!" She threw her arms around the wizard, and he returned the embrace.

"I have to leave now." Jackson said. "I have to make sure this war is stopped, since none of California has done Arizona wrong."

Rosaria smiled at him. "If you must, but don't be a stranger."

Jackson smiled at her. "If it means seeing you again, I'll come back."

Miyoko glanced back, and giggled. "Looks like we're not the only ones who fell in love, huh?"

Howl grinned back at her. "Guess not. I never thought I'd find someone I actually loved, though. Least of all some random girl I met on the streets, totally by chance."

Miyoko stared up at him for a moment. "So why did you bother to rescue me from those two? If I was so unimportant?"

"You really want to know?" Howl asked, looking reluctant to share. He sighed. "Those rumours weren't true, but there was a certain amount of truth in them. I got fun out of asking random girls out and flirting. I only ever got to third base with any of them, but that's because I'd always dump them after that. You were just one of those girls, at the time. I didn't really feel any guilt, because I didn't care about anyone, really. Now I have my heart back, I would probably die of guilt if I started doing that again."

Miyoko frowned for a moment, but her smile appeared. "Well, it doesn't matter now. What matters is that you have your heart back and everyone's safe." Then they kissed passionately. Jackson had left, but Rosaria and Markl stared at them. However, neither of them noticed it.

They didn't even notice when Rosaria smirked at them and said "Excuse me, you two! Keep it G-rated, we do have a child here!"

Markl glared at her, but looked away from the lip-lockers anyway.

When they broke apart, a star suddenly flew back down.

"Hey, isn't that Calcifer?" Markl exclaimed.

It was. He burst back into his fiery form in Miyoko's hands and explained "I kind of missed all of you. Besides, I think it's about to rain. I thought that if you do rebuild the castle, I'd power it...as well as you don't take me for granted any more."

Miyoko glanced at everyone else. She knew that everything was finally falling into place. Howl had his heart back, she was in love, the curses were broken, and everything would be fine.

**This isn't the end! There's still one or two more chapters to go. Come on, review!**


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